It’s been a hard-knock life for Detroit’s Jimmy Howard this season. He’s started all seven games for the Red Wings and has played every minute except for the final 20 of their first game against St. Louis, a 6-0 beat down.

“To be honest, there’s no time even to think about it these days,” he said. “Last time around, there was a lot more downtime. Now it’s just, you’re constantly going and constantly playing.”

Howard is in the final year of a two-year, $4.5 million contract and with how he’s played and how much he’s taken on this year, he’s proving his worth. With Jonas Gustavsson dealing with a wonky groin and rookie Thomas McCollum getting the uneasy call-up, it’s been all up to Howard to make sure the Wings hang tough.